Crossover. Suzuki SX4 4WD, Suzuki SX4 2WD, Suzuki Liana 4WD

The new Suzuki SX4 seriously intrigued us. It's attractive, compact, quite affordable — and all-wheel drive at that. There are practically no analogs on our market! The only competitor could be another model of the same brand — the Liana. That's why we brought three cars to the Dmitrovsky autopolygon: a Liana 4WD wagon and a pair of SX4 crossovers — one with front-wheel drive, the second with all-wheel drive.

In the modern automotive dictionary, "crossover" means a car that sits at the intersection of genres and classes. The name of the new Suzuki — SX4 — hints at the same. According to the creators, it stands for: sporty (S) crossover (X) for all four seasons (4).

Relief wheel arches, swift wedge-shaped profile, short overhangs... The Suzuki SX4, along with its related Fiat Sedici, is the fruit of a three-year partnership between Suzuki and the FIAT Auto concern. Both models are based on the Suzuki Swift hatchback platform and are produced at the Hungarian plant Magyar Suzuki, in a proportion reflecting the investment share: 20 thousand Fiats against 40 thousand Suzukis annually. Perhaps next year another "clone" — the Lancia Pangea — will join these twins.

Gears of the manual gearbox engage without error	The "automatic" works smoothly and predictably
Instruments: simple, laconic, and clear	Suspension travel is "car-like," but short overhangs provide the crossover with decent "geometric" off-road capability

We had both versions of the SX4 that are sold in Russia at our disposal. The silver car in the "urban" Urban Line trim — front-wheel drive, with an automatic gearbox. The orange-red SX4 in the Outdoor Line version stands out with plastic body cladding and bumpers with "metallic" overlays; it has all-wheel drive and a manual transmission.

Inside, the SX4 is quite cozy. The sloping front panel is trimmed with "leather-look" plastic, the sides of the center console and the rings of the climate control knobs are "aluminum-look." True, the plastic of the panels itself — knock-knock! — is hard.

The Suzuki SX4 is a spirited little car! But the drift on throttle lift-off is a bit abrupt, so the decision to equip cars with a stability system as standard is very correct

The seating position is high and comfortable: the steering wheel adjusts only for height, but finding a comfortable position is easy. However, very tall drivers (from 185 cm) may find the seat's longitudinal travel insufficient. This is partially compensated by the seat's vertical adjustment. Visibility is good: the massive pillars interfere a bit, but everything is perfectly visible in the mirrors. In the back, there's a bit of a shortage of space — knees touch the backs of the front seats. The trunk is deep but small (270 L).

The SX4's interior is modern. The engine is started with a "built-in" handle on the steering column; on the wheel are audio control buttons; on the console are rotary climate control knobs	The glovebox is spacious	On the center tunnel is a three-position "transmission" switch

Under the hood is a 1.6-liter gasoline engine (107 hp). The same unit is also in the Liana. True, while the Liana's engine is started with a key, the SX4 even in base trim has a keyless access system. You sit down, turn the plastic handle on the steering column — and you can go.

The Liana with a manual gearbox accelerates more briskly than both crossovers. Why is the SX4 slower? The all-wheel-drive SX4 also has a "manual," but its transmission is very "long": if the Liana in third gear reaches only 135 km/h, the SX4 does all 145 km/h.

The driving position is high; the seats please with a good profile	In the back, the SX4 is a bit cramped, but the "flat" seat makes it easier to sit three across	In Russia, the SX4 is supplied only with 1.6-liter gasoline engines (107 hp), like the Liana. But in America, there's also a two-liter 143-horsepower engine...
The all-wheel-drive version of the SX4 differs with pseudo-off-road "decoration"	The trunk is deep; the seat folds easily

And the front-wheel-drive SX4 lags behind because of the "automatic." However, shifts occur smoothly, with slight delays and completely predictably. For calm driving — just what you need.

However, the SX4 cannot be accused of lacking temperament. The chassis is tuned combatively! Rolls are minimal, reactions precise, grip on the trajectory excellent, the steering wheel informative. If you overdo the gas on a fast arc, the SX4 under power goes wide with all four wheels. But during active maneuvers, you need to be careful — the crossover can go into a drift very abruptly! Even if you manage to "catch" the car with counter-steering, the stability control will react no less sharply than the slide itself. And if you don't "catch" it... There was no electronics like ESP on the tested SX4s, but while the issue was being prepared for print, the stability system joined the list of standard equipment for "Russian" crossovers. That's why we don't provide results of the usual "moose test" — after all, we usually perform this maneuver with the stability system on, and we don't know how it works on the SX4.

Without ESP on a dirt road, the Suzuki SX4 goes into a drift already at 60 km/h. For us — fun. For an inexperienced girl — danger.

Off-road, the front-wheel-drive SX4 (right) keeps up with its all-wheel-drive sibling until the first serious wheelspin

We really liked the brakes. The pedal is informative, and the result in braking distance measurements from 100 km/h for the front-wheel-drive SX4 pleasantly surprised — 38.6 m. That's only 0.2 m more than the sporty Nissan 350Z coupe!

In terms of comfort, the Suzuki SX4 also reminds more of a sports car than a civilian one. The suspension is stiff — all road "small stuff" is transmitted into the cabin, large bumps respond with sonorous impacts, on road waves the SX4 soars and falls, rolls from side to side, exactly like a yawl in a storm. And the tires are very noisy — they "drown out" both the wind sound and the engine's voice. By the way, in the all-wheel-drive SX4 with the "manual," the engine noise is slightly weaker, and the ride smoothness is slightly better.

And what about the Liana?

Next to the modern SX4, it's unattractive — only "cosmetics" in the form of colorful taillights and a plastic "skirt" around the body save it. The interior is simpler, but the quality of materials is higher: the front panel, for example, is pliable not only in appearance but also to the touch. The front seats are a bit softer than in the SX4, but the range of vertical steering wheel adjustment is more modest. However, in the back, it's more spacious: if in the crossovers passengers almost touch the front seat backs with their knees, then in the Liana, all else being equal, they have a six-centimeter gap. The rear seat backrest adjusts for angle, and separately. And sitting two in the back is made more comfortable by "anatomical" recesses. True, because of this, it's better to sit three in the back in the SX4 — there the sofa is not profiled.

The Liana feels unsure on dirt roads: the small ground clearance (160 mm) and large overhangs get in the way

The trunk in the Liana is also more spacious — 296 L. The loading height is lower, and the step formed on the floor when the seat is folded is compensated by the considerable length of the resulting cargo area (360 mm more than the SX4).

So, for family trips, the Liana looks like the more attractive option. It also wins on comfort: the all-wheel-drive version glides over road imperfections as if they weren't there, without excessive body roll. True, there's no talk of active driving — in corners, the body leans noticeably, on uneven roads the wagon sways diagonally, and it can noticeably drift off course. But there's a plus: the soft suspension makes slides into oversteer smoother and more predictable, which enhances safety.

The interior isn't as stylish as the SX4's, but the dashboard is "soft"	The seats are slightly softer than in the SX4, but no less comfortable	In the back, it's noticeably more spacious than in the SX4

Maybe the Liana will please with quietness? Alas, no. The engine under the hood works even louder than the competitor's — during active acceleration, you want to cover your ears. The suspension, though it absorbs bumps better, still sends sounds booming through the cabin. And after 80 km/h, aerodynamic whistling adds in.

Now for the main thing — what it can do off-road.

For testing, we headed to an abandoned cross-country track. But the Liana couldn't get there. The 160 mm ground clearance is clearly insufficient, the overhangs are large, and on several waves, the wagon scraped its underbody on the ground with a crunch. The all-wheel-drive system is also archaic: the rear wheels are engaged by a viscous coupling that only locks after the front wheels slip. Today, almost no one uses such a mechanism — it works with a delay, which worsens behavior on slippery surfaces, and it overheats under serious loads.

The instruments are duller than the SX4's	The glovebox is small	The Liana's trunk is longer and more spacious

Although, as they say, better such drive than none at all, right?

The Liana's gears are "short" and engage crisply

The Suzuki SX4 is a completely different matter. It's much more "off-road." First, ground clearance is higher: 175 mm on the front-wheel-drive version and a full 190 mm on the all-wheel-drive. Second, the body overhangs are shorter. And third, the SX4 4WD's rear axle is engaged not by a viscous coupling but by a modern multi-plate clutch with electric drive. On the center console, there's a button with three modes: 2WD — pure front-wheel drive, 4WD Auto — automatic engagement of the rear wheels, and 4WD Lock — forced locking of the clutch for full-time all-wheel drive.

On slippery wet tiles, the SX4 in Auto mode engages the rear axle noticeably earlier than the Liana, and it does so absolutely without jerks. Behavior on slippery roads is more understandable and predictable. And when we locked the clutch, the SX4 easily climbed a steep sandy incline with deep ruts and bumps. There, by the way, a Volkswagen Touareg struggled to climb!

But if you spin the wheels a bit longer, you remember the modest engine. The 1.5-liter engine doesn't shine with torque, so you constantly need to rev it, and the clutch — to burn.

What's the verdict? The SX4 is not an SUV, but a compact hatchback with increased off-road capability. A true crossover. And, despite some compromises in comfort, we really liked it, especially in the all-wheel-drive version.

In an emergency, the Liana is prone to oversteer, but slides develop smoothly and are easily controlled

The Liana, meanwhile, remains the most affordable all-wheel-drive wagon in the golf class. Yes, it's noisy, but it's quite spacious.

What's the price?

In Russia, both models are sold only with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine (107 hp).

The base front-wheel-drive Liana with a manual gearbox starts at $15,920. The equipment includes four airbags, air conditioning, power accessories, and heated front seats. The all-wheel-drive version we tested will cost $19,150 — that's $1,680 more than a similarly equipped front-wheel-drive with climate control and a CD player. For an "automatic," you'll have to pay an extra $1,280. Sedans are $430 cheaper than wagons. You'll have to wait about three months for the car.

The SX4 is offered in two versions: front-wheel-drive with an "automatic" for $21,300 and all-wheel-drive with a "manual" for $22,400. The equipment is the same as the "richest" Lianas, plus side curtain airbags and a stability control system. But there are big problems with SX4 deliveries to Russia: some dealers don't accept orders at all, others require a prepayment of $100–300 and promise the car in more than a year, and still others sell cars only "as available." On average, each dealer sells just three or four such cars a month.

The warranty on both models is 3 years or 100,000 kilometers. Sales are handled by 26 dealers in seven Russian cities.